52 years, 4 months, 9 days
by samcarter34
Summary: After killing Alexander and the other members of The Five, Klaus is stricken with horrifying visions. This is the tale of his time under the thrall of the most sickening and twisted of punishments


**Hi everyone, well the inspiration for this story was what Klaus mentioned about his own hallucinations at the hands of the Five. They're probably never going to go into detail about what specifically happened, so I thought I'd write a story about it. Here we go.**

Klaus walked down the hallway of his family's estate to his room growling to himself. He couldn't believe Rebekah, actually wanting to cease to be what they are. There was no need for a cure, because what they were wasn't a disease.

As he entered his room, he went to wash his face, which had become rather bloody after ripping the Brotherhood of the Five's internal organs out. When he went to collect some water in his hands, he gasped as he saw his reflection; it was of that retch Alexander. Klaus punched his fist into the water, and after the ripples settled he saw his reflection return to normal. Suddenly he sensed a presence behind him and as he turned around at speed no human would be capable of, intending to rip the heart out of whoever this was, merely stopped and stared at the person who couldn't possibly be here; Finn

"You're dead, I left the dagger in your heart, you are in a casket hidden away in another country!" Klaus shouted, for it had to be true, if only because he did not want to face his brother's rage at being left in such an incapacitated state.

Finn merely smiled mockingly and replied.

"That might be so, but did you truly believe that you would be exempt from judgment for such a betrayal?"

"Silence yourself!"

"You use, abuse and betray the family that swore to aid you, and you honestly believe that there will be no recompense for you sins Niklaus? Of course you do, you have always managed to ignore the truth of your actions, always hiding behind the blood and the violence, no wonder the Five tried to destroy you, you are a despicable creature. You deserve to be destroy, to know the pain of all of your victims." Finn practically screamed, how could no one hear him?

"I said SILENCE YOURSELF!" Klaus ripped one of the poles from the corner of his bed and drove it through Finn's heart. However, the second the stake entered, Finn transformed into Elijah, who looked at his younger brother with a shocked and betrayed look. Rebekah was standing behind him, with a similar look on her face.

"What the bloody hell did you do that for!? Honestly, we go to check why you are screaming at the air to silence itself, and then you stake Elijah for no good reason! What is wrong with you Niklaus!?" Rebekah screamed.

"Finn, Finn was here, I was staking Finn." Klaus replied meekly.

"Finn," Rebekah glanced at Elijah, to make sure that the effects of the stake was still active, "Finn is in a casket nine hundred leagues from here, and there was no one here with you Nik, what is going on?"

Klaus looked up at her in confusion, and saw Finn standing right behind her, smiling.

"Your punishment has only just begun."

**Three Days**

Finn had refused to cease his torment, not even when Klaus slept. Finn tortured him in his dreams, bringing up things Klaus would rather have forgotten. He often compared who Klaus was now to who Klaus was when he was human.

"How would he feel, if he saw you now, the noble Niklaus, protecting his younger siblings from the wrath of their father. Would he be proud to know that now you are the one inflicting wrath upon them."

"Be QUIET!" Klaus screamed, for all the good it would do. Klaus woke up in a cold swept, and looked outside his window. He could not have slept more than an hour. He decided to go out running, and maybe find someone to feed on. As he ran, he noticed that the forest was changing, becoming more familiar. Eventually, he found himself in a clearing, and stop and stared at the figure he saw looking back at him, tears threatening to form in his eyes.

"Henrik," he managed to choke out. Henrik looked exactly as he had the last time Klaus saw him, mauled by a werewolf. The great gashes looked as if they had been made mere moments ago.

"You told me that it would be find, that nothing could possibly go wrong, that father would never find out," Henrik said in his soft, innocent voice, "why did you lie to me? Did, did you want me to die?" Tears began forming in Henrik's eyes, and as they fell, the mixed with the blood from the wounds on his face and produced a strange red color.

"NO!" Klaus gasped, horrified that his precious little brother could possibly think that. "I did not want that, I could never want that, you were my brother Henrik."

As he said those words, Henrik demeanor changed, the innocence that had become synonymous with him in Klaus' eyes disappeared, instead replaced by a coldness and cruelty that Klaus had come to know from his father.

"Then why did you kill me! You lead me out into the woods despite our parent's warnings, and you did nothing to stop the wolves as the dug their claws into me! You are responsible for my death _brother_," Henrik sneered the word, "You killed me, and you try to deny it!"

"No, NO, NOO!" Klaus screamed, tears on his face for the first time since Mikael plunged his sword through his heart. Klaus put his hands on his ears, trying to keep himself from hearing Henrik's words. It was too late tough, Henrik's words repeated themselves over and over in his head.

"No, I wasn't, that wasn't what I wanted!" Klaus screamed, but Henrik was gone.

"Nik." Rebekah's voice came from behind him. Klaus turned around to see both her and Elijah walking up to him, with concerned looks on their faces.

"What happened?" Rebekah asked.

Klaus just looked to where the apparition of his beloved baby brother had tortured him from, and began to sob.

**6 Months**

Klaus was no longer sure what was real and what was illusion. He refused to see his siblings, and walked only in the forests, entering the towns only to feed. His siblings did not know exactly what was happening, but they had figured out what the symptoms were easily enough. Kol left after two weeks of this, saying that he would track down witches to get them to tell him how to undo whatever curse had been struck upon Klaus, though Klaus suspected that Kol had grown tired of being around Klaus.

"Of course he has. He was glad to be away from you. Who would want to be around you, a man you is loyal to none, who breaks his promises. I wonder how long it will be before Rebekah and Elijah tire of you." Finn said, the apparitions standing right beside his brother. Klaus did his best to ignore the hallucinations, but it was not so easy anymore. In addition to apparitions of his family, he had begun to see things differently, what looks like a living human, might instead be a corpse. More than once Klaus drank from what he though was a young girl, only to find that it was the corpse of a dead traveler and the blood had long since cooled. It took a while to overcome the taste of that.

"Niklaus," Elijah said as he walked up to his brother.

"What is it Elijah, I told you I wish to be alone."

"Yes, push them away, make it so that when they inevitably leave you, it will not be that much of a surprise." Finn said maliciously. Klaus flinched at that.

"I know, but I have to inform that Kol's search has proven successfully. He has found a witch, and…enticed her, to remove this blight from your mind."

Klaus looked at his brother; hope entering his eyes for the first time in months.

"Lead the way."

The trip was uneventful, Finn had disappeared, which Klaus hoped meant that this was all going to be over soon. Soon Elijah lead Klaus to a clearing, where he say Rebekah and Kol waiting.

"Kol, thank-you."

"Make no mention of it, brother."

Klaus looked around but saw nothing. He looked to his siblings

"Well, where is the witch with the cure?"

"There is only one cure for what you are, boy." A cold and harsh voice uttered from behind.

Klaus turned around to find the one person he truly feared; his father Mikael.

"What? What is this?" He turned back to his siblings, only to find Finn standing amongst them. There was no sympathy or remorse in their eyes.

"You are pathetic," Kol said

"An insult to us," continued Elijah

"You only brought this upon your self," followed Finn

"If there is any decency left inside of you Nik, you will let our father drive his stake through your heart," Rebekah finished mercilessly. At this, Klaus' heart broke, he was right, his own siblings betrayed him.

"Time to die bastard, take this like a man. At least you can have some pride in your death, since you were not worth any in life." With that, Mikael drew his stake, ran over to Klaus, who could not must any energy to deflect what was coming, and drove the stake through Klaus' chest.

Klaus screamed as flames overtook him, and he could distinctly heard his siblings laughing.

Suddenly, everything was gone, his family, the fire, he was alone in a field. Klaus looked up at the night sky and wailed in rage.

"Nik?" Rebekah yelled, running at him. Klaus felt an uncontrollable rage fill within him, her words as Mikael prepared to kill him not forgotten.

"What are you doing here!? This is all your fault. If you did not hand your heart out to every man who called you pretty, then Alexander would never have discovered what we were! YOU DID THIS! YOU BETRAYED ME!"

Klaus grabbed her and slammed her into a tree.

"Nik Stop!" Rebekah screamed, crying, "Nik I did not do anything, I swear it!"

"Your words are nothing but HONEY and LIES," as he shouted these words, he broke her neck and dropped her onto the ground. And then he ran, ran far away from the family he could no longer trust, away from the reality that desire only for him gone.

**1 Year, 8 Months**

Dawn was approaching, Klaus ripped off his daylight ring and stood where the sun was sure to reach him. Finn and Kol taunted him endlessly, calling him a coward and stating that the world would be better off if Klaus did not exist.

As the sun came up and Klaus began to burn, he screamed. However, it was not a scream of pain, but of joy. For the pain brought by the sun was so great, that it was that Klaus could not hear the voices over the pain.

**10 Years, 5 months, 2 Days**

Klaus buried his fist in his chest, as Henrik looked at him with betrayal in his eyes. Klaus' healing factor and durability prevented his hand from going to his heart, but through shear force of will Klaus was determined to rip his heart out, and end it all, but he could not.

**30 Years, 3 Months, 27 Days**

"Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. GO AWAY!" Klaus wailed as he sat on the ground, crying.

"We are not going anywhere Niklaus," Elijah taunted

"That is right Nik, just as we promised, Now and Forever," Rebekah added.

**45 Years, 9 months, 16 days**

Klaus was running through the forest, he smelled fresh blood, and he had not fed in such a long time that not even the voices could stop him. He had tried to starve himself, but his instincts were too strong. He came across a family that appeared to be in the process of being killed by bandits. Klaus slaughtered them all.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, he heard a voice, not just any voice, his voice. The voice he had when he was a child. It was asking for his mother.

Klaus walked into the house and saw to an image of a child-form of him, and his mother.

Esther did not have the wound he inflicted on her, which surprised him. Henrik always appeared with the wounds the he inflicted on him through the wolves' claws. Esther was telling the child Klaus a story, but when she saw Klaus, she looked up and smiled.

"Hello Niklaus," Klaus could not believe it, there was no hatred, no judgment, nothing but love in her eyes and face.

"I killed you, why do you not hate?" Klaus asked suspiciously.

Esther laughed, "I have no reason to hate you Niklaus, I have come to help you."

"How?" Klaus practically yelled, the child him looked at him in fear when he did this.

"Now, now, how about you go play with your brothers, I have things to discuss." At that, the child smiled and left. Esther then looked at Klaus seriously.

"I should have been punished for bringing vampires to this Earth, but that was not the case. The spirits forgave me. This is what I tell you Niklaus; do not fear death, for death is absolution of all sin. It is the reward for suffering through life."

"You mean, kill myself."

"Henrik will be happy to see you again, he has missed you so much. And Tatia, she too wishes to be reunited with you."

"Why should I trust you, I killed you, you should hate me."

"I did, but through death, I was able to overcome it. Let all of my hatred, and regret just fade away. And you can do the same thing. You know what you must do."

Klaus slowly realized what she meant and nodded, no more pretending. No more trying, the only way out of this was to die. How odd that forty-five years, three months and sixteen days ago he feared it, now it made perfect sense.

"Thank-you mother." Klaus said, smiling for the first time in four and a half decades.

Esther returned the smile and replied, "I hope to see you soon, my son."

As Klaus turned to leave, he was shocked to find Henrick and Tatia standing in front of him. No longer did the wounds Klaus inflicted on him mar Henrik, and no longer did he have his father's cruelty in his eyes. Tatia, as always, had a strong and noble look about her, though she too had kindness in her eyes. Both of them looked so happy.

"Will we be able to play together again soon?" Henrick asked, his soft voice filled with joy.

Klaus patted him on the head, and then turned to put a kiss on Tatia's check.

"Yes, very soon."

**51 years, 2 days**

"We have to hurry Elijah, Nik is looking for Mikael's stake. He intends to kill himself," Rebekah yelled hysterically. Elijah immediately caught up to her, and the two began to run, looking for their wayward brother before he could end everything.

**52 years, 4 months, 9 days**

It had not been easy, stealing the stake from his father, but still it needed to be done. He knew it was petty, but he could not allow Mikael to be the one to destroy him, he would not let him win in the end. Klaus looked up to Henrik's and Tatia's faces smiling at him.

"Go on Nik, do it. Let us be reunited for all time," Tatia said, moving to trace her finger through his hair.

Klaus smiled, but then Henrick gave him an alarmed look.

"Nik, hurry!" Klaus turned around to see Elijah and Rebekah running to him. NO! they would not be allowed to keep him here. He would have his absolution from sin.

With one last silent encouragement from his brother and lover, Klaus moved the stake up to his chest and prepared to plunge it into his heart.

Just as he was about to, something change. He looked up and found that Henrick and Tatia were gone. Klaus stumbled, his mind suddenly blurry.

"NIK!" Rebekah screamed as she flung herself at him, and sent the stake flying.

"It is alright Rebekah," Klaus said, his voice shaking, as the reality of what just happened, and what was about to happen, dawned on him, "The voices are gone."

Rebekah looked at him, then burst out crying and hugging him, switching into her birth tongue and praising the gods.

"Well, is this not an embarrassment of riches," Mikael's voice rang loud and clear.

Klaus turned to see him leaning over to pick up the stake. Mikael glanced around at the three other Originals, and then simply turned and left. Klaus knew that it had less to do with love and more to do with the fact that, no matter how powerful Mikael was, he would not succeed against three Originals.

Klaus looked at his siblings and said, "I want to go home."

**Epilogue**

The three had returned to their estate near Venice in Italy. Kol had returned and told them that the curse was linked to The Five, whoever kills them, is plagued by hallucinations in an attempt to make that person the last prey. The one thing the witch would not say is how to break the curse. Kol suspected that the curse simply wore off after a while, and that it only lasted so long with Klaus because he killed all five members of The Five, though Klaus was not so sure.

However, there was a severe difference between before and now, Klaus was more distant, less open with his siblings. He knew that they sensed it, though the chalked it up to simple stress due to what happened to him. Though it was more than that.

Late one night, alone in his room, Klaus could not forget the words that had been said to him by the hallucination of his siblings, and the constant though plagued him 'what if they truly do feel this way?' Klaus decided that he could not take that chance, he would keep them close to him, and if they betrayed him, well The Five did leave the daggers.

Unbeknownst to Klaus though, he was not truly alone. The ghost of Alexander was watching him from the Other Side, and he could sense what this demon was thinking. Alexander concentrated, and then found himself in Rebekah's room, where she slept peacefully for the first time in decades. Alexander stroked her hair, though of course she would not feel it. With both a grim satisfaction and pure sadness, Alexander muttered (though no one would hear)

"Enjoy your peace now, my beloved, for you Now and Forever, has just run out."

**So, what do you think, I believe that it was good. For all of Elena's faults, she is a strong person; I don't think that she would give up easily. And Klaus was so certain that she was going to try to kill herself, that I believe he got to that point as well. Also, no one can go through that and come out unscathed, so I think that the hallucinations had a far-reaching effect on the not so friendly neighborhood hybrid**


End file.
